Pastor faces charges of soliciting prostitute

November 6, 2007|Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

Port St. Lucie — The pastor of one of the area's largest churches offered $30 to an undercover police officer for oral sex and a massage, according to a West Palm Beach Police Department arrest affidavit.

The Rev. Ronald McCaskill, pastor of New Life Christian Centre in Port St. Lucie, was arrested about 12:30 p.m. Friday in West Palm Beach on a charge of soliciting prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The affidavit says the arrest was part of a "john reverse" operation in which a female police officer posed as a prostitute. McCaskill, 54, of Fort Pierce, reportedly drove up to the undercover officer in the 6900 block of South Dixie Highway and agreed to pay $30 for oral sex and a massage. McCaskill was one of 13 men arrested Friday during the prostitution solicitation sting.

He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail shortly after 2 p.m. Friday with bail set at $250, records show. He posted bail by 11 p.m., according to his booking report.

According to a news release issued for the church's 10th anniversary in 2002, New Life Christian Centre began in 1992 as a 12-member prayer group led by McCaskill. It has grown into a congregation of several thousand working in several ministries, including the Fire House Youth Center, west of Fort Pierce, and the New Life Kidz Center adjacent to the church sanctuary.

Congregation members said McCaskill, known as "Pastor Ron," was back at the church on Sunday.

"Pastor Ron himself will preach that on the pulpit, that everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes including himself," said Patricia McKelvy, a member of New Life Christian Centre.

Word of his arrest didn't seem to shake many congregation members, who stood firm with beliefs they say they learned from McCaskill.

"With a man that's so compassionate and pours out his heart like that, it's hard to believe that a small situation like this would be used against him," church member Jose Gablus said. "It's not going to break us. All this is going to do is make us stronger and make us realize that the devil is out there to try to destroy us."